4 juli 2017

Circular economy applications of dredged

sediments:

By Tristan Debuigne, Arjan Wijdeveld, Bruno Lemiere, Joe Harrington

t.debuigne@cd2e.com, arjan.wijdeveld@Deltares.nl, b.lemiere@brgm.fr, joe.harrington@cit.ie

From pilot experiments towards fulfilling the needs of the

economy and the society

mailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:arjan.wijdeveld@Deltares.nlmailto:b.lemiere@brgm.frmailto:joe.harrington@cit.ie

1. Short (and incomplete) reflecting on past EU sediment reuse projects: Successes and dissapointments

2. What changes with regard to sediment use in a circular economy perspective?

3. Sediment Uses as Resources In Circular And Territorial EconomieS

4. Conclusion

Topics

4 juli 2017

1. Historical reflection

Sediment use has been on the agenda of SedNet since the first

conference in 2004:

4 juli 2017

1. Historical reflection

Also, the PIANC guideline on dredged material as a resource

(EnviComWG 14) has been out since 2009.

All recommendations can still be applied in 2017, also when

a circular economy approach is the key:

Recommendations (slightly shortened):

• Match supply and demand. Planning, timing, availability and transport issues are key.

• Economics. Saving on costs for primary resources. Consider total costs and benefits to

society. Look for economies of scale.

• Legislation. Do not classify dredged material as a waste by default. Adapt legislation to enable

use of dredged material.

• Promote better understanding of benefits and risks of using dredged material.

• Promote sustainable relocation. Relocation in the aquatic system should be the first option to

consider.

• Carry out pilot projects to develop expertise, learn and to demonstrate effectiveness .

• Communicate, communicate, communicate. Gain trust and support from stakeholders.

4 juli 2017

1. Historical reflection

Several EU - INTERREG projects on sediment use have carried out pilot

projects, and tried to come up with new ways to define economical

benefits, avoid the legislation traps and find support by involving local

communities (avoiding NIMBY).

(biased)

Project

Examples:

4 juli 2017

1. Historical reflection

Examples of sediment applications:

These projects were often successful on a local scale, experimenting with

new (or renewed) solutions.

Sediment used in concrete

for coastal defense blocks.

SEDIMATERIAUX, port of

Dunkirk

Sediment used in harbour

road base.

SEDIMATERIAUX, Ibid.

Lift up of Lowlands

CEAMaS, Jisperveld.

4 juli 2017

1. Historical reflection

However, many of the projects face a common fate:

- How to disseminate the results after the project is finished?

- How to upscale pilot results to an economic viable solution?

(Kennemer Mop, no market)

- How to change legislation?

(remember the PIANC recommendations)

4 juli 2017

2. A circular economy perspective on sediment use

Sediment use does not 100% fit the definition of a circular economy.

It might be better to talk about:

• Avoidance of the use of new resources (sand, clay, gravel)

• Sustainable system use (including compensation for subsidence,

erosion protection and restoring the natural sediment balance)

4 juli 2017

2. A circular economy perspective on sediment use

While these goals are mostly similar to the earlier defined goals of dredged

material as a resource (did I mention PIANC EnviComWG 14?), the driver for

sediment use is not only the local (economical) benefits.

(Inter)national awareness that unlimited use primary resources is unwanted,

combined with awareness that degradation of the natural system also costs

resources and money on the long term, gives a new impulse to sediment use.

Recent INTERREG projects like USAR (Using Sediment As a Resource)

focus on both the local cost benefits, and the avoidance of the use of primary

resources.

This approach is now so successful that sustainable sediment

solutions can be the core of a company’s business model.

As stressed by PIANC, a large part of the success of a program is based on

multiple stakeholder acceptance and participation.

A good example is the “Room for the River” project

(budget € 2.3 billion, ~35 mln. m3 of soil/sediment reallocation).

By defining common goals (safety against

flooding combined with nature development)

solutions were found that stressed the

beneficial use of the removed materials

(top soils and sediments) with acceptable risks.

Legislation was no longer an obstacle,

but part of the reuse solution.

4 juli 2017

2. A circular economy perspective on sediment use

Using “Room for the River” as an example, a new large scale program to

restore an estuarine system on the Dutch/German boarder (the Eems-Dollard)

specifically targets marine sediment reuse to save on cost and primary

resources.

Pilot clay ripening, application of clay in a dike:

4 juli 2017

2. A circular economy perspective on sediment use

Eems-

Dollard

4 juli 2017

3. SURICATES

A new INTERREG NWE project, SURICATES (Sediment Uses as Resources

In Circular And Territorial EconomieS), is ready to be submitted. This project

builds upon the available knowledge of beneficial sediment use, but also

innovates by looking at location specific applications and it includes the

society need to move towards a more sustainable economy.

In Europe 200 mln. m3 sediment is dredged yearly. The current reuse of this

dredged sediments is estimated to be around 2 mln. m3 a year (*).

Learning from past successes, upscaling of earlier pilots and using recently

developed tools to assess benefits, costs and risks on a system scale should

help to double this reuse percentage in Europe in 5 years.

The SURICATES project alone targets the reuse of 550.000 m3 of sediment,

to strengthen an ecological river bank and help beach nourishment.

(*) Not counting the beneficial sediment use applications in Flanders and The Netherlands, since legislation differs in these countries.

4 juli 2017

3. SURICATES

Port of Rotterdam carries out the largest sediment application, dredging

500.000 m3 of sediment from the fresh water part of the harbor, reallocating

this in the salt water part to help a natural river bank development project.

4 juli 2017

4. Conclusion

Circular economy applications of dredged sediments goes back to the Sednet

roots of 2004 with dredged material as a resource, but with a twist.

Many of the solutions for a circular economy driven sediment use are the

same as for dredged material as a resource. But even more then in the past,

for upscaling of solutions social acceptance is crucial.

Therefore the focus is on:

• Involvement of multiple stakeholders to find common goals, and

• Developing tools for an integral assessment of the benefits and costs of

primary resources versus sediment use, explicitly including the long term

system impact.

New INTERREG projects and innovative businesses take up this challenge!

4 juli 2017

5. Addendum

CEDA decided there is need for a new information paper on sediment reuse

and a position paper on how to look at legal restrains when dealing with

contaminated sediment.

The draft paper will be discussed during the CEDA Dredging Days,

9-10 November 2017 at Ahoy Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

4 juli 2017

6. Information and Questions

For more information contact:

Questions?

Tristan Debuigne1, Arjan Wijdeveld2, Bruno Lemiere3, Joe Harrington4

1 cd2e, Rue de bourgogne • Base du 11/19, 62750 Loos-en-Gohelle, France

2 Deltares, Boussinesqweg 1, 2629 HV Delft, The Netherlands

3 BRGM, 3 avenue Claude Guillemin, BP 36009, 45060 Orléans Cedex 2, France

4 CIT, Rossa Ave, Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland

Phone: +33 321130680,

t.debuigne@cd2e.com

Phone: +31 883358209

Arjan.Wijdeveld@deltares.nl

Phone : +33 238643504

B.Lemiere@brgm.fr

Phone : +35 3214335460

Joe.Harrington@cit.ie

mailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:t.debuigne@cd2e.commailto:Arjan.Wijdeveld@deltares.nlmailto:Arjan.Wijdeveld@deltares.nlmailto:Arjan.Wijdeveld@deltares.nlmailto:Arjan.Wijdeveld@deltares.nlmailto:Arjan.Wijdeveld@deltares.nlmailto:B.Lemiere@brgm.frmailto:B.Lemiere@brgm.frmailto:B.Lemiere@brgm.frmailto:B.Lemiere@brgm.frmailto:B.Lemiere@brgm.frmailto:Joe.Harrington@cit.iemailto:Joe.Harrington@cit.iemailto:Joe.Harrington@cit.iemailto:Joe.Harrington@cit.iemailto:Joe.Harrington@cit.ie